Gboyega Oyetola’s Blue Ministry

Oyetola

Photo illustration by Ezinne Osueke. Ref: AIT live / Minister Gboyega Oyetola.

THE MINISTRY OF BUSINESS x THE ECONOMY

Gboyega Oyetola’s Blue Ministry

Nigeria’s Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy aims to harness the nation’s vast maritime potential but can Minister Gboyega Oyetola successfully navigate these complex waters?
Oyetola

Photo illustration by Ezinne Osueke. Ref: AIT live / Minister Gboyega Oyetola.

THE MINISTRY OF BUSINESS X THE ECONOMY

Gboyega Oyetola’s Blue Ministry

Nigeria’s Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy aims to harness the nation’s vast maritime potential but can Minister Gboyega Oyetola successfully navigate these complex waters?

On 09 May 2023, the Supreme Court ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue a certificate of return to Senator Ademola Adeleke as the winner of the Osun State gubernatorial elections over the incumbent governor Gboyega Oyetola. Before this though little was publicly known about Oyetola’s connection with ocean and environmental management or sustainability. Aside from being a politician under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), a one-time governor of Osun State and former chief of staff to his predecessor, Rauf Aregbesola, Oyetola’s educational degrees and career experiences were limited to insurance management, business administration and finance. 

Campaigning on the mantra of ‘renewed hope’, Bola Ahmed Tinubu emerged victorious in the keenly contested presidential election in February 2023. However, the initial appointment of 70-year-old Oyetola as Nigeria’s minister of transportation on 16 August 2023 and his subsequent redeployment on 20 August 2023 to helm the affairs of a newly established Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy sparked disparate conversations; with arguments cross-cutting the ministry’s policy direction, the minister’s capacity and Nigeria’s preparedness to swim in the global blue economy turf. 

For an administration that promised to cut down on costs of governance and initiate an economic reboot, the decision to create a new ministry and appoint a long-time political loyalist as its minister requires a clearer justification. While the ministry was created with a mission to, ‘formulate and implement policies, programmes and initiatives that will facilitate the development of an inclusive maritime and blue economy assets, driven by an operating environment that meets global best standards,’ critics have argued that this decision was an unnecessary overlap, a waste of taxpayers’ money and a duplicity of ministerial portfolios. This is given the existence of a Ministry of Environment with a mission to, ‘ensure environmental protection, natural resources conservation and sustainable development.’ Additionally, this is alongside the existence of the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, which has a mandate to, ‘provide sustainable access to safe and sufficient water to meet the cultural, social and economic needs of all Nigerians.’ 

However, sustainability enthusiasts have also presumed that the new ministry will serve a specialized purpose and the creation, at the time, was welcome. Isa Olalekan Elegbede, a blue economy expert and lecturer at the Lagos State University, writing for The Conversation emphatically reckoned that, ‘the ministry will tap the country’s rich marine resources as an element of [Tinubu’s] national economic framework.’ Nigeria has a coastline that stretches about 853 kilometres facing the Atlantic Ocean and an additional 13,000 square kilometres of water covering an exclusive economic zone of 200 nautical miles. Its maritime interests even span the Gulf of Guinea, covering roughly 574,800 square nautical miles with a 2,874 nautical mile coastline. Thus, other players have backed the creation of this new ministry as one of President Tinubu’s many measures to trigger blue growth and diversify Nigeria’s economy by exploring the nation’s enormous ocean-related potential. 

WHAT IS the BLUE ECONOMY?

Though less referenced than the ‘green economy’, the blue economy, according to the World Bank, is the ‘sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods and jobs, and ocean ecosystem health.’ Three-quarters of the earth’s surface is covered by oceans and seas therefore the blue economy is considered an engine for global economic growth and a key source of food security.  

Globally, the blue economy sector is estimated to be worth $1.5 trillion yearly, supporting 31 million jobs, and the United Nations projects the sector will double in value to $3 trillion by 2030. Furthermore, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OCED) reports that, as of 2016, the sector was responsible for supplying a vital source of protein to approximately one billion people. Generally, the ocean supports 90 per cent of global trade, which is valued at $24 trillion. Hence, the need for better management. Associated with the blue economy are sectors such as fishery, aquaculture, renewable energy, tourism and biotechnology. Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14—life below water—sets out specific standards for conserving and sustainably using the oceans, seas and marine resources. In addition, blue economy has been connected with three other SDGs: 15 (life on land); 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions); and 17 (partnerships for the goals). 

FOLLOWING THE TIDE

Nigeria is not the first African country to set up a ministry for marine and blue economy. Perhaps with different nomenclatures, governments of other countries have ministries that are independently responsible for the sustainable use of ocean resources or their marine sector to benefit the economy, livelihoods and ecosystem health. 

For the African continent, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), as of 2019, described the blue economy as a powerful engine for sustainable growth, with a capacity to generate $296 billion and support 49 million jobs. 38 out of 54 African countries are categorized as ‘coastal countries’ with inland waters and rivers. Moreover, many Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are heavily dependent on their fisheries’ resources for economic development, government revenue, food security and livelihoods. It is, therefore, unsurprising that the six African SIDS—Cabo Verde, Comoros, Guinea-Bissau, Sao Tome and Principe, Mauritius, and Seychelles, particularly the last two—have ministries specifically dedicated to blue economy and marine resources; though at various phases of development. 

It is easy to map out the heavy reliance of SIDS on the ocean and their strong advocacy for better stewardship of ocean resources. Considering their small sizes and remoteness, many of their industries are tied to the ocean with a core economic anchor on ocean-related tourism, high import dependence and connectivity through ocean traffic. Despite the ocean’s importance, the Global Centre on Adaptation (GCA), in 2022, reported that only four African countries (South Africa, São Tomé and Príncipe, Seychelles and Mauritius) have a blue economy action plan to implement their respective strategies. In 2018, Kenya integrated blue economy principles into its national development plans. Beyond the continent, countries like the United States, Canada, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Japan and Australia are renowned as global leaders for their sustainable use of ocean resources and policies aimed at protecting marine ecosystems. 

shop the republic

shop the republic

THE MARINE MINISTRY’S GAME PLAN FOR NIGERIA

If well nurtured, Nigeria’s new ministry of marine and blue economy will play a significant, continentally relevant role in promoting the sustainable use of marine resources and developing a blue economy. Going by its mandate, the new ministry aims to institutionalize the marine and blue economy sector as an important pillar for Nigeria’s economic sustenance, growth and diversification. This aligns with the Tinubu administration’s ambition to grow Nigeria’s GDP from the World Bank’s 2023 estimate of $363.85 billion to $1 trillion by 2026 and $3 trillion by 2030—if he still occupies the presidential seat.  

The ministry’s four action pillars for its first four years (2023–2027) are: promoting sustainable blue economy investments; transforming port operations; enhancing port infrastructure; and strengthening blue governance. Under Oyetola’s leadership, the ministry targets attracting $2 billion in investments in offshore renewable energy by 2025; establishing at least five new fish processing plants by 2025 and at least two new coastal tourism sites by 2026; and creating three million marine and blue economy-related jobs by 2027. 

Having ratified six international maritime conventions and protocols, and being in partnership with the European Union-funded West and Central Africa Port Security, the ministry has a lot of options if (and when) it hopes to learn from best practices. For example, the African Union’s Africa Blue Economy Strategy outlines a range of cross-cutting and sectorial areas of interventions ranging from shipping and ports, to fishery and aquaculture, energy, mineral resources innovative industries, coastal tourism and ecosystem services. These are more than enough to serve as a springboard for the leadership of Nigeria’s ministry of marine and blue economy, its departments and agencies too. 

The new ministry spearheads seven agencies: Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria, and Nigerian Institute of Oceanography and Marine Research (NIOMR). In the marine ministry’s foundational years, quality research and contextual application must be the wheels upon which its policies run. Oluwafemi Kumuyi, NIMASA’s principal public relations officer, stressed the need for deliberate investment in research and development to, ‘harness [the marine] sector while also relying on professionals to assist in making tailored policies that will help in the realization of the blue economy.’ 

shop the republic

shop the republic

A PEEK AT THE MINISTRY’S TO-DO LIST

In a 40-page sectoral update dated May 2024, Minister Oyetola highlighted some of the ministry’s successes. The achievements were delineated in seven parts: policies and regulations, maritime infrastructure, operational efficiency, maritime safety, international protocols, capacity building and stakeholder’s engagement. In unpacking the ministry’s achievements based on noticeable physical indicators and statistics related to human resource development, the focus will be on two of the seven categories: maritime infrastructure and capacity building. 

As it relates to maritime infrastructure achievements, the ministry commissioned two units of Azimuth Stern Drive 8213 model 80-tonne bollard pull tugboats to enable the berthing of very large vessels of 300 metres length overall and above—the first of its kind in African marine crafts. It has also installed five electronic tidal gauges across selected points in Nigeria to provide real-time data to the users of the inland waterways. To eliminate delays associated with berthing and sailing of vessels and improve efficiency at ports, it acquired harbour crafts (tugboats and pilot cutters). It has also commissioned the Funtua Inland Dry Port, Katsina State, to meet inland demand and create greater access. 

On the capacity building side of things, the ministry claims that for the first time in 47 years foreign students were admitted into and trained at the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron in Akwa Ibom State. Its achievements also included the successful training of 100 seagoing officers (fishing vessels captains and engineers) in handling fishing acoustics equipment, multi-beam echo sounders, and deep-sea fishing to enhance food security and manpower development. According to the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, the ministry has provided training for 400 fish farmers in different aspects of culture, processing and value additions which has increased production to more than 800 metric tonnes. The ministry has also trained 200 fishing artisans and cooperative societies on safety at sea, extension works, and the use of newly developed marine safety applications. It also outlined the deployment of 80 trained staff from the marine department as water marshals across selected jetties to enforce rules and regulate Nigerian inland water, and the placement of six female ex-cadets onboard liquefied petroleum gas vessels. 

However, months after its intended timeline of June 2024, Nigeria has yet to publish its national policy on marine and blue economy—another specific target of the ministry. After being unable to meet two previously set deadlines, Oyetola, in December 2024, explained that the national policy draft upon finalization would be forwarded to the Federal Executive Council for ratification. 

As part of the ministry’s plan to transform port operations, it had set a date of February 2024 to operationalize the International Cargo Tracking Note (ICTN), following the House of Representative probe in November 2023. The ICTN is an electronic system that enables real-time generation of vital data on ship and cargo traffic in and out of Nigeria. When in full operation, data gathered via the platform can be relied on to monitor the exact quantity of Nigeria’s daily crude oil exports and tame the menace of oil theft. In addition, the ICTN will check cases of undocumented cargo in seaports that pose security and efficiency challenges and are being taking advantage of to perpetuate fraud and concealment of cargo manifests. Sadly, corruption and internal power struggles still stand in the way of operationalizing the ICTN technology in Nigeria. 

Before the establishment of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy in August 2023, the Lekki deep seaport, Nigeria’s largest fully automated and first deep seaport, began operation in January 2023. This brought about a significant (up to seven per cent) drop in container traffic and reduced average turnaround time of vessels from 5.1 days to 4 days. This is commendable on a Nigerian scale as other ports such as Warri, Rivers and Calabar indicate average ship turnaround time between nine days and 16.73 days. However, this feat still remains a far cry from the global benchmark of 1.20 days. 

The ministry aims for a ten-day average dwell time for containers and a four-day average turnaround time for vessels. No doubt, achieving even lesser port delays will make Nigerian ports more attractive and less expensive for current and prospective port users. 

shop the republic

shop the republic

OVER ONE YEAR AFTER, TO RETAIN OR NOT TO RETAIN?

Nigeria cannot afford to shy away from utilizing the many potentials of its surrounding water bodies. That said, 17 months after its establishment, the relevance of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy remains contentious. Equally of concern is the competence, willingness and capacity of the ministry’s current leadership under Oyetola to navigate these complex waters. 

For a newly established ministry, Nigerians might expect and will better appreciate a more robust communication channel that informs the public about the ministry’s intentions as well as ongoing projects, successes and challenges. But this does not seem to be the case on the part of the ministry. With a national policy on marine and blue economy still dragging, it appears herculean and bureaucratic to substantially differentiate the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy’s scope from seemingly overlapping erstwhile existing entities; principally the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation. 

Following finalization of the national policy, the ministry should focus on developing and integrating strategies focused on sustainable use and ethical harvesting, trading, extraction, and tourism of marine resources. There is also a crucial need to extirpate mismanagement and corrupt practices, ensuring cooperation and commitment to stewardship which are imperative to maintaining the health and productivity of the oceans. Likewise, the ministry must strive for the development and adoption of advanced aquaculture, offshore energy and marine biotechnology to increase efficiency and sustainability. Finally, ensuring inclusiveness of remote coastal communities as a part of its work in enhancing coastal and ocean resources protection must be deliberate. 

The appointment of a thoroughbred politician and former insurance broker as the minister of marine and blue economy may have been a necessary political settlement at the onset. However, for the good of the country and the prospects the sector offers we must bring to fore the question: is Oyetola the most qualified Nigerian to head the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy? Given that he survived President Tinubu’s cabinet shake-up in October 2024, it might be suggested that Oyetola is learning fast on the job rather than being an oversight on the part of the president, whose supporters maintain is a great human administrator with an uncommon ability to assemble and ultimately inspire his appointees to deliver results

BUY THE MAGAZINE AND/OR THE COVER